Born in the 1990s and raised in the 2000s, Generation Zers will
soon be entering the workforce in droves. What can HR do to attract them and
help them thrive?

By Mark McGraw

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

When Audrey Boone Tillman entered the Westin Charlotte Hotel in
2007 to judge a regional competition of college students' community outreach
projects, she noticed one big change from similar events she had attended in
the past.

"No one had paper resumes," recalls Tillman, executive
vice president of corporate services at Columbus, Ga.-based Aflac Inc., which
has approximately 4,600 U.S.-based employees. "It was entirely paperless."

Tillman scanned the sea of students toting curriculum vitae around
on thumb drives, and saw a snapshot of how tomorrow's employees would
communicate and work.

Observing that sight sent a clear message to Tillman, she says
now.

"If, as an HR team, you've been out of touch with college-age
students, then you're missing something. The way they work is different, and
they're going to change the workplace."

Take heed, HR leaders: Members of this age cohort -- born between
1990 and 1999 and frequently referred to as Generation Z -- are graduating high
school and college, and are already entering the workforce.

At 11 million strong, the 16-to-23-year-old members of Gen Z
comprise nearly 7 percent of the North American workforce of nearly 156
million, according to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data,
conducted by New Haven, Conn.-based RainmakerThinking Inc. The same analysis projects
that number will reach 20 million by 2015, 25 million by 2017 and 30 million by
2019.

And, as was the case with the millennials, Gen Xers and baby
boomers before them, employers will have to find ways to maximize the potential
of a generation with its own strengths and weaknesses, idiosyncrasies, goals
and approaches to work. For HR leaders, attracting and getting the most out of
Generation Z may require adopting strategies that combine the new with the
tried and true.

The Way They Work

Of course, Gen Z workers aren't completely different animals, says
Bruce Tulgan, founder of RainmakerThinking and an author and speaker on young
people in the workforce.

"What's different is what's going on in the world now,
compared to what was going on in the world in, say, the mid-to-late 1990s, the
mid-to-late '80s [or] the '60s and '70s.

"Most people in the workforce today are thinking more and
more like free agents; thinking more short-term and transactional," says
Tulgan. "But Gen Z -- and Gen Y, largely -- have never known it any other
way."

The shift from Gen Y to Gen Z "is a matter of degree,"
he says. "What [Generations] Y and Z typically have in common [is] they
expect a lot of support, guidance and direction from older, more experienced
people in authority roles."

Both generations also place a premium on doing something they love
for a living. For example, 50 percent of Generation Y teens in 2010 said they
wished they had a hobby that would turn into a full-time job, according to the
Bedminster, N.J.-based Intelligence Group. Among Gen Z teens, that number rose
to 76 percent in 2013.

Where these two groups diverge is in their mind-sets regarding
employment prospects, says Tulgan.

"The biggest difference between [Generations] Y and Z is the
fluctuation in the labor market," he says. "The expectations of
Generation Z are those of much less labor-friendly job markets. Generation Y's
expectations were shaped by a booming employment market, and then the rug was
pulled out from under them in the early parts of their careers. But Gen Z has
only known this labor climate."

Indeed, the Great Recession has forced many young job seekers to
scale back the salary requirements and other demands that previous generations
felt more emboldened to make.

While willing to forego big salaries, members of Gen Z -- much
like millennials -- are firm in their need for flexibility, says John Males,
founder and president of Fathom Corporate Training in Austin, Texas.

"Not having work/life balance is definitely not an option for
this generation."

A recent Ernst & Young study suggests as much. In 2013, the
New York-based professional-services firm surveyed 1,215 cross-company
professionals, evenly split across three age groups: ages 18 to 32, 33 to 48
and 49 to 67.

Among 18-to-32-year-olds, flexibility was the most important
non-cash perk on the job, with 38 percent citing a lack of day-to-day
flexibility as the factor most likely to make them leave their current jobs.

This generation also "desires a menu of choices" in
terms of how it works, says Males.

"Personalization is the name of the game in so many areas
these days," he says. "We personalize electronic gadgets with both
accessories and apps. You can further apply this thinking to the work
environment."

For instance, many employers may feel the use of social media at
work will reduce productivity, he says. "However, using social networks
such as Facebook, with access to instant messaging, Wikis and YouTube can mean
the real integration of this media right into the workflow. [Or] it may simply
mean the ability to work while connected to media with headphones."

Starting Early

Because Gen Zers are digital natives, technology is second nature
to them. Employers know this, of course, and many have already jumped on the
social-media-recruiting bandwagon.

But, while social-media networks are certainly a critical
component of attracting Gen Z talent, reaching this group requires more than
just creating a Facebook page and scouring LinkedIn for job candidates.

KI Furniture has turned to video-sharing avenues to reach this
demographic, says Jill Hummel, HR business partner with the Green Bay,
Wis.-based contract furniture provider, which is home to roughly 3,000
employees.

Hummel and the HR team helped create a series of YouTube videos
that showcase the company's culture as well as its products, she says.

"We've put together some videos showing that KI can be a fun
place to work. Let's be honest: Kids aren't coming out of school saying they
want to work for a contract furniture provider. We're kind of livening things
up to make the industry more appealing."

KI doesn't spend its entire recruiting budget on creating YouTube
videos, however. In the last two to three years, it has "spent more time
at college job fairs throughout the Green Bay area," says Hummel, noting
that KI routinely attends fairs at schools including St. Norbert's College as
well as University of Wisconsin campuses in Green Bay, Oshkosh, Milwaukee and
Madison.

The company is currently focusing on its inside sales team, which
is comprised mostly of boomers nearing retirement age. Young, recent college
grads figure to be viable candidates as KI restocks its sales talent pool in
years to come, says Hummel.

In search of such talent, KI recruiters make approximately 12
visits to college campuses each year, with plans to increase that number "as
we work specifically to recruit younger generations going forward," she
says.

"We interview a lot of students nearing graduation,"
says Hummel. "They get a description of the job, and we interview them as
if it's [a] real [interview]. We tell them what they did well, and what they
need to improve on."

This sort of instant input is typically well-received by Gen Z-age
interviewees, who desire continual feedback, she says.

"We start on campus," she says, "before we start
bringing them in for interviews. And, we have changed our strategy somewhat, to
not just be physically present at recruiting fairs, but to host events that are
meaningful to students."

For example, "now we'll host a coffee break or an ice-cream
break during exams. We'll bring in Starbucks, for example. It's on us, and it's
something that really brings out students. And it's an additional mechanism to
introduce the company.

"And we're not talking thousands of dollars [spent by Aflac],"
she adds. "Something like sponsoring a coffee break during finals or a
back-to-school ice-cream social goes over really well [with this age group],
and helps extend our brand."

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No high-school or college graduate enters the workforce as a fully
formed, polished employee, of course. For Gen Z workers -- who have spent a
lifetime interacting via email, IM, text messaging and social media -- "real"
communication skills are often seen as a particular weakness.

"This reliance [on technology] may prevent these individuals
from developing the types of interpersonal, communication and social skills
required to succeed in a traditional workplace," says Andrea Kane, senior
vice president and chief people officer at Atlanta-based Manheim and AutoTrader
Group, an Atlanta-based physical and digital automotive marketplace with 20,000
employees worldwide, and 3,500 within AutoTraderGroup.

Many other HR practitioners seem to agree. For instance, SHRM's Hiring
2013 College Graduates Survey found 30 percent of 468 HR professionals
saying they believe 2013 college graduates lacked professionalism and work
ethic, with 49 percent indicating they see new grads as being short on basic
writing skills.

At Manheim and AutoTrader Group, equipping these fresh-faced
additions with the necessary skills includes a blend of online and mobile
training, career and development activities within the company's internship
programs, and real-time job aids to meet learning needs, "for those
seeking more specialized training," says Kane.

Manheim has also launched its Classroom 2 Cubicle series, which
provides interns with time-management and personal-effectiveness tips, help
with verbal and written communication skills, and instruction in
conflict-resolution techniques. Although the series is technically just for
interns, part of the idea behind it is to help turn these Gen Z-age interns
into full-time employees when they graduate.

This shift, however, can be a difficult one to make.

At Aflac, "we've seen this generation is challenged in making
the transition into the corporate workforce," says Tillman, noting that
about 3 percent of the company's current employee population is between the
ages of 18 and 24.

Verbal communication, for one, is a common challenge among this
group, she says.

"We've seen smart and talented young professionals struggle
with confidence during one-on-one interactions with colleagues and supervisors,
for example."

In addition, she says, "Gen Z tends to be more informal, and
wants more immediate feedback than previous generations -- most likely due to
the fast-paced world in which they've grown up."

To accommodate this desire, Aflac has a "focused training and
activities schedule" to acclimate college hires into the company's
culture, she says, noting that Aflac's university relations team continues
meeting with these newly hired employees on a monthly basis "to provide
personalized feedback and guidance to ensure success in a corporate
environment."

The organization has also initiated the Aflac Bright Ideas Program
to solicit suggestions from employees (of all ages) on improving customer
service, increasing employee engagement or making work processes more
efficient.

The formal initiative has yielded some very informal -- and
ultimately very successful -- suggestions from and for Gen Z-age employees,
says Tillman.

So far, "one of the most interesting things to come from the
program was our company kickball team," according to Tillman.

"A young man came to me and talked about how much he enjoyed
playing kickball in college. And he asked if we could start a kickball team
here in Columbus."

Since the team's formation, the squad has won two league
championships, and has done much to increase engagement and camaraderie among
the young players comprising the team's roster, says Tillman.

"The team is all made up of young employees," she says. "For
them, they can go out and party afterward, and other employees come to watch
the games. It's a lot of fun, and our employees really get to interact with
each other.